The Limerick Lady Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The FINAL EPISODE (maybe, probably, for now at least) of the Limerick Lady Podcast.

After 7 years of cobbling these spiels together, we decided, for the craic, to let Zoom's "AI companion" take a swing at writing the episode summary for the show notes.

"In this final episode of their podcast, Emma and Ann announced the indefinite suspension of Limerick Lady, citing a lack of friendship between them as the main reason. They reflected on the podcast's history, including its origins with Limerick City Community Radio and notable episodes featuring various guests, while also discussing their upcoming theater projects including "Connie" and a play at the Limetree Theatre. The hosts concluded by discussing their personal lives, including foster pets and sports, while expressing gratitude to their sponsors and listeners before signing off."

So there you go, if there was ever a morsel of doubt in our minds as to AI's capacity to utterly drain human interaction of its humanity, the wit and banter completely removed... But yes, I suppose that's sort of... kind of... what this episode was. 

Useful links here: 

Foster Lucy the gorgeous 4 or 5-year-old staffy currently domiciling in Langford's gaff: https://www.mylovelyhorserescue.com/dogs.html 

Listen to our first five episodes on Limerick City Community Radio: https://www.lccr.ie/podcasts.php?show=limerick-lady-podcast&date=2018-08-15 

See/Learn more about the mural of Constance Smith:  https://www.limerickpost.ie/2019/11/05/mural-of-limerick-movie-star-constance-smith-unveiled/ 

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLimerickLady 
And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelimericklady
And if you're so inclined, on X: www.x.com/lkladyhq 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will) when we remember to get it out on time. 

The Limerick Lady is supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

On the 22nd of May 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise Marriage Equality by popular vote. That is exactly ten years ago today, at the time of recording of this short note by Ann, one half of The Limerick Lady. Ann briefly reflects on how conversations and openness were what won the campaign. Let's be sure to keep talking and listening.

Ann will be performing her show, The Morning After The Life Before (@morningafterlb on Insta), in Dance Limerick on Saturday the 24th of May at 8pm.

In July we're joined by Niamh Dunne to chat about the highs and lows of a career in music, the value of vulnerability in art, and her latest project which involved traveling the length of the country with two pipers, her dad Mickey Dunne and Paddy Keenan of the Bothy Band, exploring and celebrating Traveler heritage through their documentary project The Long Grazing Acre.

Niamh is an accomplished fiddle player and singer. ‘Tides’, her first album of self-penned songs was released in 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. She is a member of the group, Beoga whose album ‘How to Tune a Fish’ was shortlisted for a Grammy nomination in the ‘Best Contemporary World Music Album’ category. In 2017 Beoga collaborated with Ed Sheeran on his ‘÷’ album and later that year, the band performed with Sheeran during his headline Glastonbury performance. 

Niamh is a long-standing member of The Karan Casey Band and she has accumulated vast experience as a composer, performing her own compositions and songs at The Proms in the Park with The Ulster Orchestra, and with the RTÉ concert Orchestra in the National Concert Hall.  

Niamh Dunne is currently the 2024 Arts Council / UCC Traditional Artist in Residence. As part of the role, Niamh delivers a series of concerts, workshops, and events throughout the UCC campus community during the course of her one-year residency. 

https://www.niamhdunne.com/
https://twitter.com/niamhdunnemusic
https://www.facebook.com/NiamhDunnefiddle/ 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

For our June episode, Emma and Ann got a twofer! We're joined this month by Anna Murphy AND Tara Nix of Limerick musical duo T.A. Narrative. We were also joined quietly (mostly) by Maeve the dog. 

The conversation danced with abandon through and around the topics of activism, Eurovision, the representation of women and queer people on stages and on radio, the impact of big mad costumes and facepaint on stage, and how creative people need to "crawl out of their holes" and people generally need to "not be gowls". 

T.A. Narrative is a duo from Limerick, Ireland, composed of Tara Nix and Anna Murphy. The pair, who are childhood friends, have worked together under various guises, sharing the stage in Irish punk bands and touring and recording in the U.S.

Starting a collaboration as T.A. Narrative during lockdown, their unique and exciting visual live show and the release of their debut E.P. 'Retro Futurism' in 2023 have firmly placed them as a must-see act. Drawing influences from post-punk, electronic, and sparkly pop music (from Fugazi to Kim Petras), they have been described as having a charming abandon and a palpable sense of freedom and joy in the music that they create (Notbad.ie).

Fresh off the back of a tour with Irish electronic giants, King Kong Company, a much talked about performance at last year's Electric Picnic Festival, and having opened for the likes of Les Savy Fav, Bush Tetras, O., Le Boom & KYNSY, T.A. Narrative have just released thumping new single 'Caught Out' which will be followed by a new E.P. in the Autumn. They are booked for this year's All Together Now festival. Expect to dance your tits off.

Twitter.com/TANarrative1
Instagram.com/t.a_narrative 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

As we said back in April, we knew it was coming, it was inevitable, we said: it's gonna be May. And here it is! Hello! 

This month we spoke to Dr Emma Fisher-Owen; writer, theatre designer, puppeteer and stop-motion animator. We spoke to Emma about her love of "promenade" theatre; about using 860 storage boxes to create the set for the recent production of "Handle With Care"; about "coming out" as disabled through her PhD show "Pupa"; and about the amazing meet-cute that brought her and her husband and partner in creative crime together, and led them to creating their company Beyond The Bark. 

Emma got her PhD from Mary Immaculate College in 2018 in puppetry and disability. She has recently been nominated for best set design at the Dublin Fringe 2023 for What is Not Ours to Carry (Ali Clarke). She set up Beyond the Bark, an inclusive animation and puppet theatre in 2006 that creates work for old and young audiences, and has co-created and designed a number of Ceol Connected shows for young audiences including The Land of a Hundred Little Hills which just finished touring Ireland. Her film Marcach Dearg funded by the Arts Council Covid Award won best animated short at the Richard Harris International Film Festival 2021 and was a finalist for the Montreal Independent Film Festival in 2021.

Emma was nominated Irish Times Set Designer in 2010 for Revengers Tragedy (Bottom Dog) and Don Juan in Hell (Limerick Hub). 

She can be found at https://beyondthebark.squarespace.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebarkireland
Twitter: Emcfisher 
Instagram: beyondthebarkpuppets

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

Happy April to all our lovely fools- I mean listeners. LISTENERS. You're lovely. Thank you!

This month Emma spoke to Ciara Kenny aka Ciaraíoch, cartoonist and illustrator, about her first forays into illustration through the college paper, her inspirations and influences, her upcoming exhibition in Limerick City, and her cheeky little crow friend. 

Ciaraíoch (Ciara Kenny) is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator from rural Kerry, which she refuses to leave due to a vague distrust of both motorised transport and townies. She has a keen interest in social justice, feminism, nature, and Irish history and mythology, and creates drawings, paintings and linocut prints inspired by those subjects. She also draws regular topical and humour cartoons, has provided illustrations for several books, painted public murals and street art, and contributed work to television, magazines, websites, podcasts, and an academic journal, as well as having her work displayed at cartoon festivals and art exhibitions.

Ciara can be found far too often on most social media platforms as @Ciaraioch, with more work available to view at www.ciaraioch.com

Ciara's exhibition at the People's Museum of Limerick in Pery Square, Limerick City, on the 27th of April at 5pm – all are welcome! 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

Emma Langford and Ann Blake shoot the breeze with a chat around arts and activism; how they're inextricably intwined for any artist with a social conscience; and about the ever-conflicting expectations the public have of artists to either "do more" or to "just shut up and do your job".

We touch on topics like the Síle-Na-Gig, Eurovision, the Irish artists' SXSW boycott, RTÉ's handling of censorship around activism, and the vulnerability of artists taking any kind of socio-political stance; And there's a belated little International Women's Day message!

Oh and we talk a bit about sports too. Which, yknow, is a new thing. We're a sports podcast now I guess. 

Here's the PJ Harvey song Ann references, "Sheela-Na-Gig": https://youtu.be/Sjxr_No-yuY?si=H01FwZUNgEax1m8w 

More about Limerick's arts and climate festival, Future Limerick, here: https://futurelimerick.ie/ 

Follow Ann Blake on Twitter at annblake78, on Instagram at annblakeplay and check out  her band The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra on twitter at BPLO.

Find Emma Langford on Twitter at ELangfordMusic – on Instagram at EmmaLangfordMusic - and at her website www.emmalangfordmusic.com   

Find the Limerick Lady podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and follow for new episodes on the third Thursday every month.

The Limerick Lady Podcast is supported by the Limerick Post Newspaper, and sponsored by Ormston House Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie

This podcast usually goes out on the 3rd Thursday each month - the 'Thirdsday', if you will.

Follow The Limerick Lady on Facebook at TheLimerickLady, on Twitter at LkLadyHQ and on Instagram at thelimericklady

Tweet about us using #LKLadyPod so we can see what you have to say! 

Intro music: Demon Darling by Emma Langford

Outro music: Closed Book by Emma Langford

On 8 March 2024, Irish citizens will be asked to vote in two referendums to change our Constitution. The first Referendum concerns the concept of Family in the Constitution. The second Referendum proposes to delete an existing part of the Constitution and insert new text providing recognition for care provided by family members to each other.

You have two separate votes on whether you wish to make the proposed changes to the current text of Article 41 of the Constitution.

Ailbhe Smyth, an activist in women's rights and the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, is actively campaigning for a yes vote on both amendments, and we chat with her about why that is.

She was the founding head of Women’s Studies at UCD (University College Dublin) where she began lecturing at the age of 21. She has been campaigning on feminist, LGBTQI+ and socialist issues for decades. She played a key role in the victorious Marriage Equality referendum in 2015. A pro-choice activist since the late 1970s, Ailbhe co-founded the Coalition to Repeal the 8th Amendment and went on to become Co-Director of the Together for Yes 2015 referendum campaign which won the right to abortion for women in Ireland in 2018.

A Dublin resident, Ailbhe is currently Chair of Women’s Aid Ireland, and Honorary Patron of the Women’s Collective Ireland (previously National Collective of Community-based Women’s Network). She is a founder member of Climate Justice Coalition, and also of Le Chéile: Diversity not Division which campaigns against the growth of far right extremism.

In 2019, Ailbhe was listed as one of Time Magazine’s ‘Most Influential People’. She was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Laws by NUIG in 2021, and was conferred with the Freedom of the City of Dublin.

Follow Ailbhe Smyth on Twitter at AilbheS

Follow Ann Blake on Twitter at annblake78, on Instagram at annblakeplay and check out  her band The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra on twitter at BPLO.

Find Emma Langford on Twitter at ELangfordMusic – on Instagram at EmmaLangfordMusic - and at her website www.emmalangfordmusic.com   

Find the Limerick Lady podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and follow for new episodes on the third Thursday every month.

The Limerick Lady Podcast is supported by the Limerick Post Newspaper, and sponsored by Ormston House Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie

This podcast usually goes out on the 3rd Thursday each month - the 'Thirdsday', if you will.

Follow The Limerick Lady on Facebook at TheLimerickLady, on Twitter at LkLadyHQ and on Instagram at thelimericklady

Tweet about us using #LKLadyPod so we can see what you have to say! 

Intro music: Demon Darling by Emma Langford

Outro music: Closed Book by Emma Langford

Unfortunately there is no episode this month as Emma is on tour in the USA and Ann is in the middle of a big (good) life episode that she will be letting people know about soon.

Find out more and get ticets for Emma's USA shows at www.emmalangfordmusic.com/tour 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS! This month we spoke to Molly Cantwell about her charity cover of ‘River’ which was released on Wednesday the 20th of December in aid of GCN (Gay Community News), in memory of her late friend Joe Drennan who was killed this year in a hit-and-run incident in Limerick. We also chatted about her time dressing as a medieval lady to sing at banquets in Knappogue and Bunratty, her work in journalism, and some hidden talents that she has not adequately exploited recently.

Molly Cantwell is a 25-year-old Irish/Valenciano/Madeiran queer multimedia journalist and student at the University of Limerick - as well as an award-winning shower singer to-be.

Currently sitting as managing editor of Limerick Voice and editor-in-chief of An Focal, Molly is passionate about platforming human rights and equality stories as well as writing about music, arts and culture, news, politics, and much more. She freelances for Hot Press and Overblown, with previous work in The Clare Echo, GCN, The Irish Examiner, The Limerick Leader, and more. 

During her time as a student in Limerick College of Further Education (2018 - 2020), Molly solo-produced and created her National Student Media Award nominated radio documentary “Cyber Killer - Qu'est - Ce Que C'est?”. In 2022, Molly also sat as editor-in-chief of CURIOUS - a UL magazine created by second year students. She has been nominated for the Smedias eight times - winning two of these categories.

Molly has already lived another lifetime as a professional entertainer with Shannon Heritage, which she thoroughly enjoyed, but she is excited to finish college in 2024 and get her journalism career properly started. She is inspired by the dedicated work of her colleagues at Hot Press and female journalists like Zara King, Sarah McInerney, Claire Byrne, Louise McSharry, Aoife Moore, and more. 

Follow Molly Cantwell on Instagram at @WhatMollyDoesNext and on Twitter/X at @whatmolsaysnext 

Buy "River" on Bandcamp NOW here: https://mollycantwell.bandcamp.com/track/river 

GCN is a free, vital resource by the LGBTQ+ community for the LGBTQ+ community since 1988. You can find them and support their work here: https://gcn.ie/ 

Tickets for The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra on the 23rd of December in Dolans, Limerick are available here: https://www.dolans.ie/gigs-events-live-music-listings/2023/12/23/the-brad-pitt-light-orchestra 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie